People from the EU and US who have been fully vaccinated will now be able to avoid quarantine when arriving in England from Monday, it has been confirmed.
At present, people who have been fully vaccinated in the UK do not need to isolate when travelling from amber list countries - except from France, however the exemption did not apply to people vaccinated outside of the UK.
The UK government's Covid Operations committee met early on Wednesday and made the decision.
US citizens must have a vaccine card proving their full vaccination to be exempt, while EU citizens need to possess the bloc's "green pass" showing their vaccination status to be exempt from isolation.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the change would come into effect on August 2 at 4am.
READ MORE: Amber list countries: Where can double-vaccinated Scots travel without isolation
Mr Shapps tweeted: “We’re helping reunite people living in the US and European countries with their family and friends in the UK.
“From 2nd August at 4am people from these countries will be able to come to the England from an amber country without having to quarantine if they’re fully vaxxed.
“The changes will apply to fully vaxxed people with an FDA or EMA vaccine – they’ll still need to do the usual pre-departure test before arrival and take a PCR test on day 2 of returning to the England.
“We’re also able to confirm the restart of international cruises and flexible testing programmes to help key workers and drive our economic recovery.
“Whether you’re a family or a business, this is progress we can all enjoy.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that talks on travel were taking place between the four nations, however no firm decisions have yet been made for Scotland with regards to this change.
The travel industry has been pushing for the change in the rules so that people living abroad can more easily come to the UK for holidays or to visit loved ones.
However, although they will be able to avoid quarantine in England, US citizens are urged not to travel to the UK by their country's health protection agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
And the US border remains closed to the UK, as well as many other countries, except for US citizens.
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